Sunderland disguise doctor admits new charge of trying to kill mother's partner in poison wine plot

Dr Thomas Kwan caused a painful, flesh eating disease when he jabbed 71-year-old Patrick O'Hara with poison during a visit to his home on St Thomas Street in Newcastle, which he shared with the medic's mother Jenny Leung, in January 2024.

Mr O'Hara survived the bizarre bid to kill him but suffered excruciating and long term effects and Kwan, whose motive was to get his mother's inheritance, was jailed for 31-and-a-half years for attempted murder last November (2024).

At Newcastle Crown Court today (October 9), via video link to HMP Frankland, Kwan, 54, pleaded guilty to attempted murder of Mr O'Hara between September 15 2022 and January 21 2024 and administering poison or noxious substance between the same dates.

The new charges relate to Kwan sending drinks packages to Mr O'Hara, which appeared to be from the Northern Wine and Drinks Tasting Gentleman's Club but had been laced with thallium.

The court heard the Gentleman's club did not exist and the doctored wine had been sent by Kwan.

Judge Edward Bindloss said: "The Crown's case is, as I understand, a number of packages were sent, between 18 and 21. Some of the bottles were recovered, some not. Some contained thallium and some did not."

Prosecutor Peter Makepeace KC said: "We can evidence three bottles as being tampered with and poisoned. Other bottles were not recovered.

"We say however the whole scheme of delivering those bottles from the outset was part of a single scheme to attempt to kill Mr O'Hara.

"The packages from the outset were sent using false details, their origin was deliberately disguised and hidden."

Judge Bindloss added: "The bottles were sent by the defendant but under the guise of coming from an organisation, Northern Wine and Drinks Tasting Gentleman's Club."

Mr Makepeace confirmed no such organisation exists and not all of the bottles would have been poisoned.

The court heard the new attempted murder charge relates to Mr O'Hara and the administering poison charge relates to another man who was given the wine intended for Mr O'Hara.

Kwan is likely to be sentenced for the new offences in January.

During his murder bid last January, Kwan disguised himself with a surgical mask and tinted glasses, when he administered the deadly injection.

He remained undetected by his own mum and Mr O'Hara, who suffered excruciating pain and ended up needing "very considerable portions" of his arm flesh removed.

At the previous sentence hearing, Mr O'Hara, who said the attack should have been the "end of me", said he spent five weeks in hospital, faces ongoing treatment and has been to "hell and back".

The former environmental analyst said he has always been healthy and when he received a letter he thought was from the NHS about a home visit to administer the jab he did not suspect anything untoward.

But he added his life "completely changed forever" when the needle went in: "The doctors at the RVI informed me that I had had been diagnosed with necrotising fasciitis and that my body was suffering from a 'flesh eating' disease.

"In order to cure this disease, I underwent three separate operations, which required surgeons to cut away large parts of my left arm to ensure that all the signs of the disease had been removed so that it wouldn't continue to spread."

He added: "There was never a day that went past when I did not feel pain."

Mr O'Hara, who said he "didn't want to believe it" when he found out the truth of what had happened, said his health has continued to suffer.

He added: "I will never get over the anxiety and pain that he has caused me and my family."

Prosecutors described the case as "extraordinary" and "exceptional in gravity of preparation and premeditation" and was focused on money.

Makepeace KC told the court at the earlier hearing Kwan had an "obsession with money", felt an "entitlement to money" and had previously forged legal documents in relation to the share he received of his father's will.